Two Pieces for Layering

Filmore duster with Hudson top (TSW)

As usual, it seems that we're speeding into winter here in the southeastern US. It always seems that way to me because I love seeing the fall colors and I miss them when they're gone. There are still some beautiful trees here but we're beginning to light the fire at night.

As winter approaches, I think about 3-piece ensembles. One of my tried-and-true layering pieces is the super simple Hudson top, from the Sewing Workshop (TSW). I like to make the shorter version so it slides easily under a vest or a jacket. I know that a current style includes the hem of a shirt showing beneath a short jacket, but I have not been able to adjust my eye.  It just looks wrong to me.

This season's first Hudson was made with a swoon-worthy cotton Ikat in black and brown purchased online from Stonemountain and Daughter. I did not have enough fabric, per usual, and so added a band to the front hem and bias binding to the sleeve hems.

There is always enough fabric for a little something on the back.

Today I made a project of determining what pieces will layer nicely with my new Hudson tops. Here are the pieces I pulled from my closet for the Ikat version:

Chateau jacket in wool Melton maybe (TSW)

Marcy Tilton design in a cotton-linen blend

Wiksten Kimono Jacket in washed linen (also lined with linen)

Wool tweed and silk vest, OOP pattern Hong Kong vest from TSW

My most recent make is the Hudson in a pebble textured polyester (yikes!) piece I purchased from the Sewing Workshop (TSW). It was a pain to sew, but I'm glad I persisted. It came very close to the trash bin after I completed French seams on the neckline only to realize that I had sewn it all backwards! I kept reminding myself that black is a core color and I needed this top!

Due my recurrent theme of too-little-fabric, I discovered that I could cut the front and back as one piece with a center-back seam. The side seams are completely straight on grain so it was easy to overlap the pieces by 1.25".

It doesn't photograph well but it goes with just about everything in my closet:

This jacket is made with a heavy Japanese cotton using the Now and Zen pattern (TSW)

Hong Kong vest again

A more recent make, this is the Stafford pattern in linen from a curtain, lengthened and sleeves omitted (TSW)

Fillmore duster in Brussels washer linen (TSW)

Chateau coat again, always sharp with black, I think

It's good to bring out some old friends from the winter closet. Now I can look forward to wearing them on these dreary winter days.

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Seasonal Changes

It is finally autumn here in the southeastern part of the US. And it feels a bit like we're heading into winter quickly. It always feels that way because I love the feel and look of fall and want it to stay a while.

Twice a year, I move my clothes from one closet to another. It is always a good time to assess the items I'm not wearing or items that need mending. And I find myself enjoying the making of small tweaks in a few items.

First up is this black cotton shirt with white sashiko, constructed 2 years ago. It is made in a medium weight cotton that feels a bit like washed linen. I traced the pattern while at Sew Kansas. It has never been published by the Sewing Workshop.

This neckline is not part of the pattern. I adapted it from the Egyptian shirt from Folkwear.

I like it a lot and have worn it often. Black pants; black top; done. No surprise that is began to look quite washed out after a number of washings. And I have all this black walnut juice around, so I thought, why not?

But I did not want to dye the white sashiko so I removed it. I let the top soak in a solution of black walnut juice and iron water for several days, simmering it on the stove from time to time. I think it did get a bit blacker. Afterwards I restitched the sashiko. Yes, I did. Who does that?!?

Next up was an unlined version of the the Sewing Workshop Tremont jacket. I have used this pattern more than once. It's a charming pattern, I think, with its asymmetrical fronts, set-in sleeves, and face-framing collar. This one was constructed using a hefty loosely-woven cotton ikat. I added some red accents that got in my way when I actually wanted to wear it. And it really should have been lined from the get-go.

I now see that the red accents are just about invisible. sigh.

So I removed the red accents and lined it. I used a soft light-weight cotton Ikat for lining the body and rayon Ambiance for the sleeves. I really like the weight of it now.

I also added a new closure using remnants from another cotton ikat project. I created frog knots per Sandra Betzina and simple loops on the other side.

And then I decided I didn't like that and removed the closures. Jeez.

Last weekend I signed up for an indigo dip at my local recreation center. I looked around and saw this nice white top I made with a French pattern, the Cezembre. I had already adjusted it once, as the cotton shirting was too tightly woven for the sleeves to fit smoothly into the armscye.

Cezembre before

I tried to create a gradiated indigo color with the darkest portion at the bottom. It was impossible (for me) to keep the upper portion white, so I dipped it all. I'm pretty happy with this color. I do love indigo blue.

Cezembre after

Ah, well. Two steps forward, three steps back. It's all about the joy of working with cloth in my hands.

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Bells

The Sewing Workshop re-issued the Bells and Whistles pattern just a year ago according to my copy. But it's been around a while. I see reviews dating back to 2008. It contains two very different blouses. I was mostly drawn to the Whistles version initially, especially after I saw one of their samples in that style.

When I found this lovely soft cotton lawn at Gail K, I figured it would make a great version of one of these tops. At this point I don't remember why, but I selected Bells instead of Whistles. I will continue to long for a Whistles version.

This blouse is, I think, one of the most fitted patterns ever published by the Sewing Workshop. The sides seams are quite shapely and the back has 4 (!) vertical darts. The hem is curved in a very girly fashion. All of this makes me wonder if I'll enjoy wearing it. Oh, yes, I will. I promise.

As you can probably tell in the picture, the left and right front pattern pieces are quite different in order to create the angled closure. The pattern contains two sets of button bands, one set following the more expected center-front vertical placement. I omitted the vertical set and kept the button bands that follow the curve of each front piece. It seemed to me that there was already plenty going on in this design and that I'd be happier with one fewer design element.

It has a single epaulet on the right shoulder that balances the asymmetry formed by the button bands. And the sleeves are quite different too, with the button bands and the cuffs. These 3 elements presented a fun opportunity to use a contrasting cotton fabric. I also used the contrast as the under collar and the under collar band.

My contrast fabric is a bit more beefy than the soft cotton lawn. This worked out fine as I was able to skip the interfacing that I would have needed otherwise.

Overall I am pretty pleased with the result and look forward to wearing it. Isn't the pattern fun? Calculus was the last math course I really loved when I pursued my mathematics degree at the University of Texas. So this is a small tribute to that.

So what's on your cutting table?

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Sewing with Knits

Swing Tee (cotton knit) with Pencil Pants (ponte)

This is not my first choice for sewing. Knits are simultaneously intimidating and mind-numbing, IMO. I guess that says something about me. I love linen - so predictable, so obedient, just right for little details. But sometimes I find myself sewing with knits.

I subscribe to Sew Confident! which is an annual subscription service from the Sewing Workshop (TSW). As I've said before, I am a Sewing Workshop groupie. I have been since some time back in the 90s when I found this weird pattern called the cocoon coat in my local fabric shop. It was back when I really did have a local fabric shop about 3 miles from my home.

But I digress. It seems that knit garments form a significant portion of the Sew Confident! repertoire for 2018. I have fought this, as in making the Picasso top out of a woven fabric even though knits are recommended. It worked but when I finally made it out of a knit, I loved that one best.

The most recent edition of Sew Confident! includes modifications to the Swing Tee which was introduced in the January 2018 edition. I had skipped over that pattern for a variety of reasons including the fact that I have several basic tee patterns I like OK. When I saw the modifications, I decided I needed to make the original Swing Tee. So here it is.

And, yes, I love it.

My first Swing Tee goes perfectly with my first pair of Pencil Pants, another pattern I ignored initially. I knew I'd make the Pencil Pants eventually. At first I thought they were too similar to the Helix pants which I've used over and over again. However they have a slightly different shape - more narrow at the ankle - and I like the waistband finish much better.

Helix pants: uses wide elastic that is not covered, smooths nicely when worn

The waistband finish on the Helix wears beautifully but it's a bit of a pain to install. The waistband finish on the Pencil Pants is easier to finish, I think, and I like where it sits on my so-called waistline. These are made with a beefy navy blue ponte. I made them a little too large so I'll take them up before I fill them out!

Pencil Pants: elastic enclosed like a yoga pant, also smooths when worn

I have to admit that the Swing Tee is also quite nice. I like the tunic length, as well as the fit at the shoulders. I changed the neckline from a basic crew to a bateau neckline. I used the neckline in the Picasso top to create that. I lengthened the sleeves, one of the changes in the current issue of Sew Confident!

Because I chose a horizontal cotton stripe, I also changed the hemline. It is a lovely curve, but I wanted my stripes to go straight across. I added one pocket near the hem and a patch at the back shoulder. Horizontal stripes may not be my best look, but I've always loved a simple nautical navy and white stripe (*).

I'm happy with this!

* I think I'll open the side seams to create deep vents. Then I can angle the corner at a 45 degree angle which may be more slimming and less jarring than a curved hem. There's always time re-sew.

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Two More Picasso Tops

I now have the Picasso Pants and Top pattern from the Sewing Workshop (TSW) out of my system. I've made the top 3 times and the pants once. I don't see any more tops in my immediate future, but who knows? These surprised me. I do definitely see more pants in my future, but possibly not until spring.

In summary, my first version of the top was made from a tablecloth - cotton damask.

And my second one looked like a tablecloth, though made from cotton prints. I have already taken it apart to use in other projects.

My third and favorite one is made with rayon jersey knit, plus some striped accents. This is a bit ironic because I was reluctant to make a knit version even though the pattern envelope requires it. The woven versions are of necessity size Mediums and the knit one is size Small, and I think the size XS might also fit in knits. It is designed as a big boxy top, and I like that a lot!

Above I'm wearing the knit version of the Picasso top with my favorite knit pants (the Helix pattern from TSW). I have made those a number of times just because I like the look. Making them is fast and easy.  Below I'm wearing the Picasso top (in knits) and pants (in rayon crepe), which is a pretty close approximation of the intentions for this pattern.

Now I do think the whole Picasso look is cute. And I will happily wear this ensemble and feel good. And I know the slimmer Helix pants create a more flattering silhouette. Just a little note to self.

I made the same changes to the neckline as in my previous Picasso tops, this time using a bias strip of striped knit. It's not matched at the shoulder seams but the up side is that the shoulder seams are nice and flat. And it was a sweet opportunity for a little sashiko.

Meanwhile there is still a dye pot simmering on the stove, this time with pokeberries. I've printed with pokeberries before but this is my first foray into dyeing with them. I simmered and strained the juice from it. Now a piece of silk noil and another piece of cotton sateen are brewing. I'm realizing I need to be more careful in my handling of this stuff that seems to grow everywhere here in the southern states of the US.

Recent foraging: black walnuts, magnolia pods, pokeberries, queen ann's lace

It is intriguing that pokeweed is both poisonous and edible. The leaves are edible in early spring before the stalk becomes purple. The berries that are growing now can be used to make jelly, once the seeds are removed. That being said, I must be more careful in my handling of the stuff (another note to self). But the color is so seductive. Maybe the dye will be rewarding too.

I'm also ready to do some more avocado dyeing. Here is a shot of them with my new toy - a macro lens for my phone camera.

Some days it feels like there is almost too much fun stuff to do. Does that happen to you?

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